About

WHERE WE CAME FROM
We didn’t start out to reinvent the recruitment industry but rather refine it and add value by taking a consultative approach to executive search. We started with the aim of focusing entirely on the customer, steering away from cold recruitment strategies so we could concentrate on our passion – connecting real people.
Situated in a rural setting surrounded by beautiful countryside, we wanted to define a strong team culture by providing the best possible working environment for our employees. Despite the close-knit team we’ve created here, our business spans far and wide, both nationally and internationally.
WHO WE ARE
Our people have always been an integral part of the ever-growing Collingwood family and we surround ourselves with experienced, dynamic professionals. Our ethos is present in everything we do, from finding you the perfect candidate to investing in our own staff. We don’t just sell our values, we practice what we preach - putting all who work here at the heart of everything we do.

As a recruiter with nearly 20 years working in executive search, I was introduced to personality assessments in 2004 and have been a strong advocate of their value as part of a robust recruitment and employee development process.

Back in 2004, the clients I introduced to personality assessment were extremely cynical and needed a lot of convincing to invest their time and money in them. Today, thankfully, is a very different picture with many of our new clients already using their own selected tools.

I really enjoyed reading the article below as it supports the reasons I recommend using personality assessments to my SME clients. There are many benefits but here are the top 7.

1. Identifying the personality make-up of your business

Understanding the personalities of your colleagues is invaluable. It will help you to understand why they act the way they do in certain situations and ensure that you adapt your style to develop a strong partnership with them. We are all different and so there is no point being frustrated because your colleague acts differently. Understanding your entire team will highlight key strengths and weaknesses and help you to put people in the right jobs, which will undoubtedly help your business perform better.

2. Self-awareness

Understanding yourself is a key part of your personal development. Denial will leave you behind whilst embracing your personality will allow you to focus on strengths and attend to weaknesses. This is even better if you invest in a qualified coach who can provide robust feedback on your personality assessment results and help you improve and develop.

It is more valuable if you create a culture where employees are happy to share their profiles with their colleagues.

3. Helps you to recruit personality "gaps"

Knowing your team will allow you to identify gaps that your business really needs to be successful. For example, I was approached by a client who couldn't understand why his customer service team was performing so poorly. When we assessed them we found that no one in the team has a profile that liked interacting with customers. Sounds bizarre but several years earlier the previous manager had moved a bunch of order administrators into customer service roles to deal with customer complaints etc... Problem solved through personality profiling.

4. Identify superstars you didn't know you had

Without a robust internal appraisal or employee development process, it can be easy to overlook employees who just get on with it. I once delivered a profiling exercise for a 180-strong workforce with every one assessed. To my surprise we identified a number of superstars who had been under the radar but who were capable of so much more. Several promotions later and my client retained and developed some fantastic talent that they didn't know they had.

5. They remove subjectivity from your interview process

I do believe that "gut feel" has a place in decision making but it needs to be supported objectively and personality assessments can help you achieve this.

6. They can predict future performance

Armed with your company's vision for the future, how are you going to align employees who can embrace and achieve it. They may not have the required skills but their desire to learn and ability to adapt etc... will be key to your vision's success.

I could go on and on but hopefully, you can see my passion for personality assessments and the value they will bring to your business.

Here is another article demonstrating how we helped a client use them:

"We utilize personality appraisals during team-building meetings as well as strategic planning. It's amazingly insightful for each of us as individuals and as team members," Terry Segerberg continued. "I frequently remind people to think about the strengths and personality style of their coworkers, especially when they don't understand why they aren't syncing with someone else."
"It's been helpful in revealing how to interact with different personality types, what job responsibilities individuals tend to like and dislike, what gives them energy and what saps it," said Vivek Puri, owner of Classic Homes Virginia and EO DC member. "I have used these assessments not to change people but rather to help restructure roles or provide assistance where personality type indicates they may not be very strong. As a leader, it has helped me blame less and help more."